Greens propose converting destroyed Callide power station into big battery

Pressure is mounting to dramatically transform a power station after it caught fire last week causing statewide blackouts.

EXCLUSIVE

Queensland’s Callide C coal-fired facility would undergo a dramatic transformation into another big battery in the Sunshine State under a proposal put forward by the Greens.

Early estimates predict the cost to fix the power station could climb as high as $200 million after an explosion and fire ravaged the facility last week in Central Queensland, causing statewide blackouts.

Station operator CS Energy said up to 70 workers were onsite this week attempting to repair the damage, with three units expected to be back online this month.

But the C4 unit was destroyed when the turbine failure led to a massive explosion.

Company chief executive Andrew Bills said on Tuesday the unit would need to be rebuilt and wouldn’t be back online for another 12-months.

The drawn-out repairs could cost the Queensland-owned company hundreds of millions of dollars, according to early estimates from energy experts quoted in the Financial Review.

State Greens MP Michael Berkman told NCA NewsWire that “spending $200 million on propping up coal would be throwing good money after bad”.

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Queensland was plunged into a widespread blackout after the fire at the Callide power station.

“Coal is increasingly expensive and unreliable – for the cost of patching up this out-of-date technology, Queensland could have another big battery,” he said.

The state and federal Greens have instead proposed spending $150 million to construct a big battery while committing the remaining $50 million to a transition program for workers.

They say the Palaszczuk government could adopt a similar strategy used in Germany where coal miners were offered to be redeployed to other state-owned power stations or given funds for education and training.

“We know that early closures will be necessary for the state government to meet even its 50 per cent renewables target by 2030,” Mr Berkman said.

“Why not put a plan in place for workers now rather than springing redundancies on them in a few years time? Coal workers and communities have helped build this state, so they deserve a fair go.”

Member for Maiwar Michael Berkman urged the Palaszczuk government to transition to renewable energy. Picture: Liam Kidston

The Member for Maiwar said the benefit of publicly owned electricity assets meant the Palaszczuk government could work directly with CS Energy to invest in batteries over coal.

Greens federal leader Adam Bandt said the need to close coal-fired stations amid increasing pressure to drive down emissions meant the Callide explosion created an ideal opportunity to fairly transition workers to more sustainable career options in energy production.

“It is now urgent for the Queensland Labor government to work with unions and industry to put in place an industry-wide transition program to enable workers to retrain and redeploy or take early retirement as power stations close,” he told NCA NewsWire.

On Wednesday, the Greens’ proposal was echoed by the Queensland Conservation Council, which implored the Palaszczuk government to withdraw investment from its thermal-generated facilities and redirect funds to new storage technologies.

“It’s as if the gearbox has failed on CS Energy’s 20-year-old car,” the council’s director Dave Copeman said. “Why would they spend money on an inefficient car approaching the end of its life when they could buy something more reliable, cheaper and fit for the future?

“Large-scale storage could have helped us on May 25 by responding almost instantaneously to the loss of Callide C. Fast response can stop problems spreading throughout the network.”

But the union roundly rejects the proposal, saying there are no vacancies in other government-owned facilities and the prospects of employment in alternative energy production are limited.

“There’s no jobs in the renewable sector,” CFMEU district vice-president and mining spokesperson Shane Brunker told NCA NewsWire.

“Experts who attended the energy forum in Gladstone a month ago all admit that – there are no jobs in the green energy sector.

“And the sooner they get that out in the public and all the latte sippers on the West End of Brisbane understand that, the better off they'll be.”

Amid the growing chorus to close the Callide operation and reinvest in renewable alternatives, CS Energy released a statement on Tuesday reaffirming its commitment to rebuild and return the coal-fired station to full service.

Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said it was too early to speculate over the repair costs of the station and reaffirmed the Palaszczuk government’s commitment to rebuild the facility.

“We have been unequivocal in our support for the Callide workforce and the restoration of Callide C to its full operational capacity,” he told NCA NewsWire.

“The Greens political party has zero credibility on energy policy ever since they voted against significant reforms in the Australian parliament that would have decarbonised our economy.”